Moped Army [Paperback]

Paul Sizer (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Series: Moped Army | Publication Date: April 4, 2006

In the world of 2277, a girl named Simone is caught between her rich entitlement culture friends in the upper city and the gangs of moped riders who roam and patrol the lower city. She must decide in which world she wants to truly live and survive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...I knew Moped Army would be good, but it has exceeded all my expectations... GRADE: A -- Rich Watson, COMIC WORLD NEWS (September 2005)

...MOPED ARMY will have much the same spirit of Youth Solidarity as AKIRA or Dave Gibbons' THE ORIGINALS. -- MATTHEW CRAIG, NINTH ART (Book of the Week, SEPTEMBER 2005)

..They will also find a compelling story with socio-political ideas simmering under the surface of the action... -- KAT KAN, VOYA (December 2005)

From the Publisher

PAUL SIZER ON THE REAL MOPED ARMY: "The Moped Army is the epitome of the vision that William Gibson had for the future in his writings about the cyberpunk culture. These guys ride around on old, reclaimed machines, yet communicate with cel phones and PDAs, and tape web cams to their handlebars and run them from PowerBooks crammed into their sidebags to make digital movies. They embody a very pure essence of punk culture, in that they make what makes them different their strengths. What is considered a liability is taken and made into an advantage. Most of the members of the Moped Army are kids who are the left of center/alternative crowd, very intelligent and savvy and very dedicated to this part of their lifestyle. This is not a 'purchase into the club' scenario; the Moped Army is all about sweat equity, investing time and heart into what you love doing, and being ready to defend that investment any way they have to."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Fiery Studios (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976856549
• ISBN-13: 978-0976856542
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,441,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Debut, November 18, 2006

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moped Army (Paperback)

This crisp debut takes the classic tale of rich, mean high school jocks vs. poor, likable nerds, and sets it in a megacity 270 years in the future. The first third of the story introduces Simone, a beautiful, wealthy black girl who dates Chester, the big man on high-school campus. Now a senior, she's increasingly ambivalent about her relationship with the abusive and drug-addicted Chester, but it isn't until she gets dragged along for a night of mayhem in the "Rust City" ghetto that her eyes are truly opened to what a nasty piece of work she's with.

The second third of the story shows how her guilt over that incident leads her to explore Rust City, and eventually meet up with the Moped Army. This is a group of countercultural nerd/tribalist types who have created a kind of commune based around old mopeds (which are different than scooters). Most of the Moped Army welcome her as a newcomer and make her feel at home, so much so that she eventually ditches her high school clique and joins them. This enrages Chester, and the final third of the story builds to a showdown between his bio-enhanced thug-jock pals and the Moped Army.

The entire story is one we've seen in plenty of films and books before, and other than the setting there's nothing particularly fresh about it here. The rich jocks are all universally neanderthalish and the Moped Army are all nice offbeat folks (although the one girl who remains frosty toward Simone has good reason, and this is handled well). The book is a nice celebration of an communal ideal, and one that taps into the current vibe of wikis and self-created communities. However, the denouement to the story felt somewhat implausible and while the bad guys retreat, it's not at all clear why they wouldn't just regroup and attack again a week later (perhaps round two will come in a subsequent volume).

A number of reviewers applaud the "class warfare" aspect of the storyline, but it's not exactly subtle or penetrating. And despite the inclusiveness of the Moped Army, there a tinge of "oh-cooler-than-thouness" in their myriad of tattoos, vintage clothing, sideburns, and hipster t-shirts (such as Cibo Matto). Still, the book is ultimately worthwhile and entertaining. Simone is a well-depicted heroine, with all the self-doubts of a real teenager, and a budding sense of responsibility. The artwork is mostly pleasing (as long as you don't mind your women characters to be universally curvaceous), and the bonus conceptual sketches are interesting and worthwhile.

Note: The inspiration for this book is the real-life Moped Army, whose mission says that they are: "the organizational end result of an outcropping of moped enthusiasts throughout the nation. Seeing it as more than just an easy and inexpensive way to get around town, members uphold the moped as a way of life. Although the advantages as a mode of transportation are many, a similar mind set is what brings us together."